Joshua ready for Fury fight after overcoming ‘big issue’

Anthony Joshua believes he now has the engine to take Tyson Fury into deep waters. The Watford powerhouse admits stamina was a ‘big problem’ for him in the past but is confident in his gas tank going forwards under new trainer Derrick James. 

Joshua went the full 12-round distance on Saturday night against Jermaine Franklin at London’s O2 Arena. There were glimpses of his best work, particularly with the right uppercut on the break, although he never really got out of second gear as he cruised to a wide unanimous decision victory with scorecards of 118-111, 117-111 and 117-111 in his favour.

As the fight went on Joshua became more and more dynamic and started to open up in the championship rounds. Against Oleksandr Usyk these stanzas had seen him visibly tire but there appeared to be vast improvements in his pacing last night.

But the question still remains, is it enough to trouble fearsome domestic rival, Fury? Joshua certainly thinks so.

“One of the big issues with me personally was stamina,” said Joshua. “In terms of Tyson Fury, would I need more time? Not necessarily because I have the time now. Coming off a 12-round fight, with that training behind me, we managed to build from here up to here. It’s a great place to be.

“12 rounds isn’t a bad thing if you have a big task like Tyson Fury, who is also a 12-round fighter. The confidence remains the same. But one thing that I am more confident about is my conditioning. I’ll be able to concentrate.

“How did I manage to lose the fight with [Oleksandr] Usyk? In the ninth, the 10th, the 11th, the 12th. In the last stretch, you can lose a fight. I don’t want to make that mistake again.”

When asked whether he has reached his peak as a fighter, Joshua replied: “You never stop learning. In terms of peak? As I said who knows? Who knows where that peak is because getting the win today leads us onto bigger heights for the next one.

“I will have to raise the bar again and that means I will have to peak again for the next fight. By getting through today, the next fight I have, I’ll find out if I am flat, if I just can’t push myself that bit any more or if I still have a level to go.”